McCain contradicts Obama and Kerry in Egypt: Yes, Morsi’s ouster was a “coup”

posted at 2:11 pm on August 6, 2013 by Allahpundit

Newsworthy, not because disagreements between Maverick and The One are increasingly rare (which they are) and not because the “coup” language is new to McCain (it isn’t) but because he and Graham are there in Egypt at Obama’s behest. The whole point of this trip is to get the military to hold new elections soon so that the newly ousted Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t decide to abandon politics for jihad (yet). In order to make that happen, the White House needs to retain what little leverage it has over Sissi and the army. That’s why Obama’s been careful not to call Morsi’s downfall a “coup”: Not only would that alienate the military and the millions of Egyptian anti-Islamists who view last month’s upheaval as a necessary revolutionary step towards real democracy, it would force the U.S. by statute to cut off military aid.

Precisely for that reason, the lengths to which State has gone to avoid using the C-word are almost comical. Initially they said they simply wouldn’t take a position on whether it was a coup; when they were criticized for that, they doubled down and said there’s nothing in any federal law that requires them to take a position, so nyah nyah. Actual quote: “[I]t is not in our national interest to make such a determination.” Then John Kerry, in an interview given in Pakistan, went full anti-coup:

“The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descendance into chaos, into violence. And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgement – so far. To run the country, there’s a civilian government. In effect, they were restoring democracy.”

The Obama administration has refrained from describing Mr Morsi’s removal as a “coup”. Were it to do so, the US government would be obligated to cut off its estimated $1.5 bn in annual aid to Egypt, the BBC notes.

They’ve also been sporadically shooting people in the street, which is why Kerry has since offered some perfunctory criticism. The point, though, is clear — the White House really, really, really doesn’t want the political headache of calling Morsi’s ouster a coup.

So here’s John McCain, speaking today in Egypt as a semi-official White House ambassador, calling it a coup:

“We have said we share the democratic aspirations and criticism of the Morsy government that led millions of Egyptians into the streets … . We’ve also said that the circumstances of (Morsy’s) removal was a coup,” McCain told reporters in Cairo Tuesday as he and Sen. Lindsey Graham met with officials there to press for a quick return to civilian life…

“The Egyptian military must move more aggressively toward turning over control to the civilian population, civilian organizations,” Graham, of South Carolina, said when asked about the purpose of the trip on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

“The military can’t keep running the country. We need democratic elections. The (Muslim) Brotherhood needs to get off the streets and back into the political arena and fight your differences there, and we need to put Egypt back to work. If this continues, it’s going to be a failed state. That’s why we’re going.”

If you’re trying to get the military to play ball on holding new elections, why would you delegitimize their big power play against Morsi? And while we’re in head-scratching mode over McCain’s Egypt pronouncements, how did he go from calling for aid to Egypt to be suspended a few weeks ago to voting against Rand Paul’s amendment last week calling for aid to Egypt to be cut off? McCain said on the Senate floor before that vote that canceling aid to the Egyptian military will only end up hurting Israel — which is arguably true, insofar as the aid acts as a restraint on the army from starting another war. How come it took him three weeks to figure that out, though? Better yet, why would O tap him, of all people, to be an envoy to Egypt’s military when Maverick had said publicly within the last month that the military should be cut off financially? That’s an odd pick if you’re looking to ingratiate yourself with them.

Anyway. The White House’s strategy in Middle East conflicts usually boils down to playing two bad sides off each other until there’s a semi-stable equilibrium between the two. That’s the plan in Syria — build up the rebels until Assad is forced to negotiate a peace settlement — and that’s the plan now in Egypt. That’s why you’re seeing top U.S. diplomats visiting jailed Muslim Brotherhood leaders in prison and why McCain and Graham are calling for MB prisoners to be released. We’re trying to ingratiate ourselves with both sides in hopes of bringing everyone back to the table and keeping them inside the political system. I wonder how far State’s prepared to go to make friends inside the Brotherhood in the name of preventing them from choosing violent “direct action” instead.

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The whole point of this trip is to get the military to hold new elections soon so that the newly ousted Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t decide to abandon politics forgets back into power so they can internationalize their brand of jihad (yet).

McCain is a loose cannon on deck, an angry old attention whore whose craven desire for the spotlight results in shots fired in all directions. While he’s been focusing his fire on the conservative wing of the Republican Party, it is obviously dangerous for anyone to get within range.

McCain has reached the point where he will do / say anything as long as he thinks he will get the lamestream media to fawn all over him…even if what he says has major negative ramifications to our national security and aids our enemies.

McCain was never that smart any way. He never would have made it into the Naval Academy or not have been broomed had his father and grandfather not been admirals. And, he’s even dumber now that he’s almost 80.

Two Republican senators said Tuesday that they’ve personally urged the Egyptian government to release Muslim Brotherhood prisoners, after hosting meetings with top officials in Cairo as part of an Obama administration-sanctioned visit.

McCain is a loose canon. No one can trust him. Don’t know why anyone does. He belongs in a closet, or a nursing home, somewhere.

And now that we’ve heard what the Dumb half of the Dumb and Dumber self-appointed GOP foreign policy team had to say, what is the Dumber half saying? That would be Graham.

What’s wrong with everyone just saying “no comment” about what is happening in Egypt, along with boiler plate rhetoric about “carefully monitoring with interest and concern, hoping things work out for the best for the people of Egypt, blah, blah, blah”.

While deciding whether or not it is worth it to continue providing military aid to Egypt.

We’re trying to ingratiate ourselves with both sides in hopes of bringing everyone back to the table and keeping them inside the political system. I wonder how far State’s prepared to go to make friends inside the Brotherhood in the name of preventing them from choosing violent “direct action” instead.

If so then we have learned nothing from the past several decades of dealing with the barbarians and savages in the region. We have not learned that all of the possible players in any “both sides” situation hate us. And they will continue hating us no matter what we do or do not do.

There is no upside to doing anything in that part of the world, beyond making sure the oil keeps flowing. There never is when you are dealing with hate filled savages and barbarians, who will always blame all of their problems on someone else. While butchering each other and anyone else who gets near them.

So finally McCain gets so mavericky that he is an embarrassment to even Obama. This is a good thing.

I’m on this big kick currently of pointing out that the maverick lunacy of McCain and Lindsey is not something that any intelligent moderate would come up with. I fear that calling the two of them “moderates” discredits the idea of moderation. They need to be called some more appropriate. Wacko birds, maybe?

I fear that calling the two of them “moderates” discredits the idea of moderation. They need to be called some more appropriate. Wacko birds, maybe?

thuja on August 6, 2013 at 2:38 PM

What exactly are they moderate about? Certainly not social issues. McCain hasn’t encountered a country yet that he doesn’t advocate boots-on-ground intervention (which is hardly a moderate position). And Graham is just his little yapping lap dog. The two of them were among the favored few “moderates” that had dinner with the rat-eared coward even as Rand Paul was acting like a whackobird.

“The military can’t keep running the country. We need democratic elections. The (Muslim) Brotherhood needs to get off the streets and back into the political arena and fight your differences there, and we need to put Egypt back to work. If this continues, it’s going to be a failed state. That’s why we’re going.”

But I am sure he would have no problem if the U.S. Military ran Egypt…or the U.S. for that matter considering his and his girlfriend’s view of the U.S. constitution. The only thing McCain does not want is the U.S. military controlling the U.S. southern border with Mexico. I am starting to get the sinking suspicion that is the case because he actually thinks Mexico is American territory. I am sure he would have no problem sending a few legions down to Mexico City to occupy the place…probably at the same time we take over Canada.

Somebody help out here…the muslim brotherhood and al-queda have the same goals don’t they? The only difference we are led to believe is their tactics.

And with our robust military aid to Egypt (given while Morsi was in charge) and their unstable national leadership plus the running of SA-7s and RPGs to Syrian rebels it sure looks like we’re arming both factions of a common enemy

Egyptians threw out the MB because they did not want Sharia laws imposed on them. Most Egyptians believe the government should take further action against the MB. Mubarek managed to keep peace by outlawing the MB. Calling for MB to be released and allowed to participate in the political system ignores the fact that most Egyptians do not want them imposing islamfascism on them and sending the country back into the dark ages. Who the hell are Barry, Whackobird, and Ms. Lindsay to tell them differently? That they want to play off opposing sides feeds right into the average eyptian’s belief that we want a civil war. o

Of course it was a military coup. But this military is putting down death-to-America & Israel Muslim Brotherhood zealots- whose favorite pastime is killing Copts or burning their churches – so why stop them?

So finally McCain gets so mavericky that he is an embarrassment to even Obama. This is a good thing.

I’m on this big kick currently of pointing out that the maverick lunacy of McCain and Lindsey is not something that any intelligent moderate would come up with. I fear that calling the two of them “moderates” discredits the idea of moderation. They need to be called some more appropriate. Wacko birds, maybe?

thuja on August 6, 2013 at 2:38 PM

This….exactly…

The “Senile Hawks”..

I would like the see the GOP get back to being run by the “Rational Hawks” in our party.

If a Democrat had done something like this under Reagan or Bush, we would have all denounced them. And McCain deserves no less.

He is undermining US foreign policy – as weak and feckless as it is – to essentially defend the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to undermine every Egyptian institution and END democracy. Morsi wasn’t deposed for following the law, he was trashing it, disobeying the Courts and defenestrating the army as he substituted a phony MB document for the Constitution.

The Colonels should realize that we’d understand if McCain and Graham’s plane went down. Accidents happen.

So finally McCain gets so mavericky that he is an embarrassment to even Obama. This is a good thing.

I’m on this big kick currently of pointing out that the maverick lunacy of McCain and Lindsey is not something that any intelligent moderate would come up with. I fear that calling the two of them “moderates” discredits the idea of moderation. They need to be called some more appropriate. Wacko birds, maybe?

I’m not sure it is medically possible, but I am considering that perhaps when McCain ejected from his A4 that the same incorrect procedure/body position that caused his obvious injuries, perhaps also caused a cranial-rectal inversion because he sure does seem to spend most of his time talking out of his …

Maybe I need to reread my copy of The Looming Tower but aren’t both MB and AQ aligned in their objective to destroy western influence and spread sharia law? MB went the slow political route and AQ went with pure force by terrorism but aren’t they both ultimately warriors for allah?

AQ in Egypt redirected some of the arms Hillary was sending to AQ in Syria and used them on our consulate and annex in Benghazi. The MB was definitely flexing its muscles slaughtering coptics as they have always proclaimed they would do.

After Obama gave away every gain we made in Iraq and appears ready to do the same in Afghanistan what dog do we have in this hunt?

Look McCain should just shut up and spend a romantic week sight seeing, climbing the pyramids, playing dress up with Graham, cruising down the Nile, Graham prancing about the deck of the ship in a provocative dress…

Given that there is no way to underestimate the superficiality of Obama’s world view, could it be that he just sent these old farts there to screw up, so he can say he tried to get the Republicans to help and they made it worse, which for once might be sort of true – except for calling McCain and Graham “Republicans”, that is.

I call them “Serial Media Attention Addicts”. Working with Chuck Schumer on amnesty for several months must have been a true inspiration for them.

This wouldn’t have been a problem if we had cut the Egypt’s aid off when the NB took over initially (even though that wasn’t a coup, per se). If we had done that, we could then be seen as rewarding the military by turning the aid back on with this, er, “action” to remove the MB.

I think this isn’t a disagreement between McCain and Obama. He’s giving cover for Obama..so Obama can come out at a later date and agree with McCain. Since Obama was the one behind Morsi… since Obama was the one the people of Egypt hate.. since what actually happened in Egypt was the vast majority of the people re-establishing their form of government and removing a dictator… Obama needed cover over here. And McCain was their guy.

Most of the commenters here are comically dense and completely miss the point.

McCain is NOT harming Obama. He is NOT a loose cannon in this case. He is delegitimizing the current government, (military), which kicked out the MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD TERRORISTS. This aligns with Obama’s goals. Therefore, this is not at all harming Obama. The White House wants the MB in power you schmucks.

This is no different than the situation a few years ago in Hondouras. The only difference is that the White House has been more measured in its disapproval of THE RIGHT THING happening. Instead, it sends whackobirds McCain and his girlfriend there.

The media too is upset because it dishonors Obama, just like the Detroit bankruptcy. If you don’t get this… you are being played, grandpa.

Yeah, America should kick out the military who did the right thing… in order to put terrorists back in power? Are you choomin’?

I agree with that as far as the Egyptian military goes but it appears our diplomutts and Obama are trying to keep Morsi relevant.

Indeed, because Obama basically supports the Muslim Brotherhood and wants to show his support for it to the Muslim world.

I would expect the Egyptian military to put Morsi on trial and get rid of him. Otherwise he will be a rallying point for strife in Egypt as long as he’s alive. The generals surely know that if the Muslim Brotherhood ever really obtained power that their heads will be on pikes and it will be called “Allah’s will”.

So McCain and lindsey Graham are in Egypt to meet with the military and TERRORISTS….REALLY?!

According to the news these two CLOWNS, at Obama’s request, have traveled to Egypt to meet the Interim Government leaders (the military) and the ‘legitimate’ head of the government – the TERRORIST GROUP the Muslim Brotherhood, the ‘government’ that was supposed to provide protection to the Embassy in Cairo on 9/11/12 when it was overrun by Jihadists.

We now know that a rival terrorist faction demanded they be allowed to attack the Embassy as part of a Middle East wide attack on American Embassies on the anniversary of 9/11 last year. If the Brotherhood failed to allow the attack they said they would declare the Brotherhood to be a US ‘puppet State’. The Brotherhood then reportedly made a deal to allow the attack as long as no American was killed.

I understand why the ‘Jihadist Sypathizer’ and Chief would want to talk to the Brotherhood, the group he helped put into power, but why dumb-masses McCain and Graham have agreed to go to Egypt to do so for Obama is mind-numbing!